Cotton-picker.



No. 776,467. PATENTED NOV. 29,1904. W. w. HOSKINS.

COTTON PIOKER.

APPLICATION FILED mm: so. 1903.

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INVENTOH No. 776,467. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

W. W. HOSKINS.

COTTON PIGKER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1903.

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WITNESSES:

No. 776,467. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904. W. W. HOSKINS.

COTTON PIGKER.

APPLICATION FILED mm; so, 1903.

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WITNESSES: INVENTOI? WZZZCCJII? MIL 562 11. 2

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N0. FIG/H37. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904. W. W. HOSKINS.

COTTON PICKER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1903.

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Unrrnn Patented November 29, 1904.

PATENT rricn.

COTTON-PICKEH.

BPEGIFICATIOIV forming part of Letters Iatent N0. 776,467, datedNovember 29, 1904,

Application filed June 30, 1903. Serial No. 163,738. \No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM l/VHARTON Hos- KINS, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Velasco, in the county of Brazoria and Stateof TeXas, have made certain new and useful Improvements inCotton-Pickers,of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in cottonpickers, having for an object,among others, to provide a machine in which the picking devices slantfrom their ground ends forwardly instead of rearwardly or vertically,whereby they will come in contact with the top of the plant first andwill pick down, thus having an upward and backward pull on the plant inoperation, and also to construct the picking devices of a picking-rollerand an opposing feed-roller correspondingly inclined, and to provideother means, as will be more fully described; and the invention consistsin certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will behereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of amachine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig.3 is a sectional front elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a detailelevation, partly in section, of the picking-roller. Fig. 5 is a detailplan view of one of the sections of the shell of the picker. Fig. 6 is adetail side elevation of one of the pickers. Fig. 7 is a detailperspective view of one of the rubber rings for the picker-pulley. Fig.8 is a detail perspective View of the picker-pulley. Fig. 9 is a detailside elevation, partly in section, of the driving-cams for thepicker-rolls and their supporting-shaft. Fig. 10 is afront elevationthereof. Fig. 11 is a detail view of the bearing for the lower end ofthe cam-shaft.

. Fig. 12 is a detail view of the bearing for the picking-roller. Figs.13 and 14 are detail sectional views of the upper and lower end sectionsof the shell of the picking-roller. Fig.

upon the wheels B, one at each side, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. T hesewheels are journaled on bearings carried by the lower ends of uprightsB, which are moved vertically in guides B, mounted on the outer sides ofthe framing A and project above the said framing, as best shown in Fig.3. Near their upper ends and on their inner sides the upright bars B areprovided with vertical bearings B, in which journal adjusting-screws B,whose lower ends are threaded in bearings B secured to the frame A, asbest shown in Fig. 3. By turning these screws B, which may beaccomplished in any suitable manner, the frame A may be adjusted up anddown with respect to the wheels B, and, if desired, one may be sethigher or lower at either side to accommodate the use of the machine ona hillside. To the wheels B are fixed the sprocket-wheels 7), by whichpower is transmitted from the wheel B to the moving parts of themachine.

WVithin the framing A and at the opposite sides of the machine I providecarrier-belts 20, which operate to convey the cotton delivered theretoby the picking-rollers to the rear of the machine and deliver it to theelevators 21, which carry the cotton upwardly and discharge it to anysuitable receptacle. The means for driving these carriers and elevatorswill be described in detail hereinafter.

The sprocket-wheels b are connected by sprocket-chains 7) withsprocket-pulleys if, which are clutched on the main drive-shaft U, theclutches 5 being so arranged (see Fig. 2) that the main drive-shaft Cwill be driven as the machine moves forward, but will not be turned onbacking the machine. This shaft C is connected by a sprocket-belt C witha counter-shaft D, which connects by a belt I) with a secondcounter-shaft E, which is geared at c with the upper shaft E of theelevators 21, said upper shaft E being connected by a sprocket-chain awith the front shaft of the carrier 20.

Iarrange the picking-rollers Fand the feeding-rollers Gr in pairs sideby side, and when I use two'or more pairs of rollers I dispose themalternatelythat is to say, when two pairs are used I arrange the rearfeed-roller behind the front picking'roller and the rear picking-rollerbehind the front feed roller thus reversing the rear pair of rollerswith respect to the first, so that the picking-rollers of the front andrear pair are arranged diagonally and the feeding-rollers arecorrespondingly arranged. By this arrangement, as the cotton-plantpasses through the machine the cotton is picked first from one side andthen from the other side of the growing plant. It should be understood,however, that, if desired, only one pair of rollers namely, onepicking-roller and its cooperating feedroller-may be used, picking fromonly one side at a time and rendering it necessary to pass over the rowof plants twice in order to pick the cotton from both sides. A machineof this kind could be made to accommodate those not able to buy machineshaving the two pairs of rollers.

The picking-rollers F and their cooperating feed-rollers are arrangedside by side and incline forwardly toward their upper ends. In practiceI prefer to arrange the rollers at an angle of about forty-five degrees;but I find in practice that they may be inclined at an angle of as muchas sixty degrees from the perpendicular, but no more, as if they morenearly approach the horizontal they will operate to drag the plant down.For this reason I find it necessary that the roller should be at anangle of not more than sixty degrees to the perpendicular in order thatthey may operate as desired.

Bearing-blocks H support bearings for the lower ends of the picking andfeeding rollers, and bearing-bars H support the bearings for the upperends of said rollers, as best shown in Fig. 1.

The feeding-rollers G are of a special construction, comprising a shaft1, on which is fitted a core 2, a plurality of radial projectingcoil-springs 3 on the core and held at their outer ends by a strong cordor lacing 4L and covered by a fabric 5, of canvas or the like, on theouter side of which are secured longitudinal slats or strips 6, ofleather or other suitable material, which may be secured by riveting orotherwise, as may be desired. This provides a yielding roller, whichwill not injure the plants and whose ribs will properly feed the bollsto the picking-rolls and hold them in position for proper operation bythe said rolls, as may be desired. These feedrollers have their shafts 1provided at their upper ends with bevel gears 7, which are meshed bybevel-gears on cross-shafts driven from the drive-shaft O in the mannerpresently described.

The picking-rollers F are shown in detail in Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9and include the shell F and the inner or cam portion F, the latter beingshown in section in Fig. 4 and in side elevation in Fig. 5. The camportion F is stationary, and the casing F revolves thereabout, so thatits pickers will receive motion the manner presently described.

from the cam-disks of the cam portion F in The cam portion F includesthe shaft 8, whose lower end 9 is keyed in the bearing 10 on thebaseblock H, while its upper end extends within the tubular bearingneck11 at the upper end of the shell F. On the shaft 9 are secured theplurality of cam-disks I, which are spaced apart slightly to permit thefriction-pulleys on the pickers to operate between them and are providedon their edges with the cam rails or surfaces 2', which operate upon thefriction-pulleys and serve to turn them first in one direction and thenthe other as the shell carrying said pulleys is revolved around the camportion F. It will be noticed especially from Fig. 9 that the rails 2'of two adjacent cam-disks I project into the space between the saiddisks at different portions of the circumference of the disk, so that asthe shell carrying the revolving pickers is revolved around the portionF the rollers or friction-pulleys of the pickers will be operated one atthe left of the shaft 8 (see Figs. 4 and 9) by the upper disk of anyparticular pair and when at the right of said shaft will be operated bythe cam-surface z of the lower disk of said pair and will when betweenthe said surfaces i be free, so that the said picker will first beturned in one direction, then will be permitted to stop, then will beturned in the opposite direction, so that when turned in one directionit may pick the cotton from the bolls, may then rest for a moment beforeit is turned in the opposite direction to discharge the cotton to thecarriers 20 by the revolution of the pickers in the reverse direction,as will be better understood from what follows. The shell F is composedof a number of ring-sections J, one of which is shown in plan in Fig. 5,and the lower end section K and the upper end section L, the sections J,K, and L, being secured together by the bolts M, which connect theadjacent sections and rings and hold the rings tightly together, and sosecure the several parts of the shell rigidly together. Each section Jis composed of an outer ring J and an inner ring J the latter operatingbetween the adjacent disks I of the cam portion F and affording abearing for the inner ends of the picker-shafts, presently described.The outer ring J is provided with a circular series ofoutwardly-projecting cones 7', in which the outer ends of thepicker-shafts turn and beyond which they project, as best shown in Figs.4 and 5. These pickers have the shafts N, the pulleys O, and the sleevesin which the shafts N are secured and the rubber or other yielding rimP, secured 'in the pulley of the 'sleeve 0 and affording a frictionalbearing to operate upon the cam-surfaces z'of the disks I. At theirouter ends picker-shafts N have the ratchet-teeth or drilllike ends 01,which when turned in one direction operate to strip the cotton from thebolls,

and when turned in the opposite direction tend to release the cotton,the shafts being so arranged that they will be turned in the properdirection to pick the cotton when in contact with the cotton on theplants, and will then be reversed and moved in the opposite direction inorder to release the cotton so it may fall into the carriers 20 afterthe pickers have picked cotton from the plant and reached the positionover the said carriers. By providing a period of rest between the twodirections of movement of the picker-shaft I avoid the wear incident toquickly reversing the direction of rotation of the said shaft, as willbe understood. At its upper end the picker journals by sleeve 11 in thebearing12 and has fixed on its upper end a bevel-gear 13, which ismeshed by a bevel-gear on its driving-shaft. To drive the rollers of therear pair, I provide shafts P, supplied with bevelgears meshing with thegears 7 and 13 of the rear rollers, said shafts P being geared bysprocket-belts P with the drive-shaft P and being also geared bysprocket-chains P with cross-shafts p, having bevel-gears meshing withthe bevel-gears 7 and 13 of the front pair of rollers, as will beunderstood from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The specific construction of the rearwardly traveling belts or carriers20, and the elevators 21 and their relation to other parts of themachine will be best understood on reference to Figs. 15 and 16, andfrom these figures it will be noticed the carriers 20 are driven by thesprocket-chain D, (see Figs. 2 and 15,) and the rollers at the oppositeends of the carriers are connected together by the sprocket-chain 29, towhich the carriers 20 are secured, the whole being arranged so thecarriers will convey the picked cotton to the rear of the machine anddeliver it to the elevators, so it can be discharged at an elevatedpoint, as desired.

In the practical operation of my machine, a forward movement thereofwill turn the forwardly-slanting picking and feeding rollers and causethe picking spindles or shafts to turn in the proper direction to engageand draw the cotton from the bolls, the plants and bolls being heldfirst on one side and then on the other by the feeding-rollers, and theconeshape projections on the picking-roller aiding the picker-spindlesin getting a deeper hold on the cotton, and the cotton being releasedfrom the picking spindles or shafts by the reverse motion thereof, asbefore described.

I provide my machine with a tongue across the top, (see Q in Fig. 1,)which works with a back pole, such as are used in cane-cultivators, thusdispensing with the neck-yoke that tends to knock the cotton out of thebolls when the team passes over the row.

From the foregoing description it will be seen I provide for operatingthe several pairs of rollers, so that they may turn on their front facestoward each other upon the plant, as desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus for picking cotton, comprising a picking-roll, afeeding-roll opposite the picking-roll, means whereby said r'olls may beoperated to cause them to turn toward each other at their front sides,and supports for the said rolls whereby they are held in positioninclining forwardly from their lower to their upper ends, whereby whenthey are turned toward each other and moved bodily upon a plant theywill exert an upward and backward pull and will come in contact with theplant first at the top and will then pick downwardly, substantially asset forth.

2. In acotton-picking machine, afeed-roller inclining from its groundend forwardly and upwardly for holding the plant-bolls, and thepicking-roller opposing said feed-roller and in close proximity to andparallel with said feed-roller, and means for operating said rollers.

3. A cotton-picking machine comprising feed-rollers and picking-rollersinclined forwardly from their lower toward their upper ends and arrangedin pairs of one pickingroller and one feed-roller, one pair being behindthe other and the picking-roller of one pair being diagonally oppositethe pickingroller of the other pair, and means for supporting the saidrollers, substantially as set forth.

4:. Acotton-pickingmachine comprising the framing, and a pair of rollersopposing each other, and in such relation that one roller will press thecotton into contact with the, other roller, said rollers being inclinedforwardly and upwardly from their lower to their upper ends, whereby toavoid dragging the plants down as the machine moves forward.

5. In a machine for picking cotton, the combination of thepicking-roller and the opposite feed-roller having a yielding surfaceprovided with projections by which to feed the plant against thepicking-roller, substantially as set forth.

6. In a cotton-picking machine, a feed-roller comprising a core, aplurality of radially-extending springs on said core, and a flexiblecovering for said springs Whose surface is provided with projections forfeeding the cotton, substantially as set forth.

7. In a cotton-picking machine, a feedingroller having a flexible oryielding covering combined with a picking device to which the plants arefed by said roller.

8. In a cotton-picking machine, a feedingroller having a flexibleyielding cover and provided with longitudinal ribs or slats thereon, asset forth.

9. In a cotton-picking machine, the combination of the picking-rollerprovided with picking devices and arranged at an angle incliningupwardly from its lower rear end to- Ward its upper end, and theopposite feedroller adjacent to and adapted to feed the cotton to saidpicking-roller, the feed-roller being also inclined upwardly from itslower rear end toward its upper end, substantially as set forth. 10.Afeeding-rollerfor cotton-pickers,cornprising a core, a series ofprojecting springs thereon, a flexible covering over said springs, andlongitudinal ribs or slats on the said cover, substantially as setforth.

11. A feed-roller for cotton-pickers having a yielding surface providedwith projections for feeding the cotton.

12. A feed-roller for cotton-pickers having a flexible covering, springswithin and supupper and lower cam-surfaces or rails for op- 3 cratingthe picker-shafts.

WILLIAM WHARTON HOSKINS.

Witnesses:

JAs. F. BROWN, E. P. HOEFLE.

